Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce seeks new hub, plans to open incubator and retail store

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is searching for up to 30,000 square feet of space for a new business services hub. The space would also be home to a new incubator for startups and a retail store where Brooklyn-made products will be sold.

"This will be a focal point for all business activity in the borough," said Carlo Scissura, the chamber's president and CEO. "It's a place to advocate for businesses, allow businesses to network and grow and a showcase for them."The organization's operations are currently scattered in three downtown Brooklyn locations, which can be inconvenient for business owners who want to utilize several of the chamber's resources. The chamber plans to consolidate its executive offices at 335 Adams St., a job center at MetroTech Center and a business service center on Bond St. into the new space. It will maintain its smaller satellite facilities in six libraries and in the offices of three local officials, Assembly members Steven Cymbrowitz, Latrice Walker and Felix Ortiz.

Scissura has been reaching out to Brooklyn businesses and the real estate industry to help the chamber find a space, which Scissura estimates will cost between $10 million to $20 million to buy and build out.

"It could take city, state and federal money and private fundraising and philanthropy," he said. "Everyone has to come together and say that business in Brooklyn deserves a center like this. We're totally confident we can do it because of our partnerships with elected officials and our board of directors."According to Scissura, the new center will devote up to about 10,000 square feet to an incubator that will be free or low-cost to startups. "We don't want to compete with WeWork, but if you're starting and you have nowhere to go, this is a place where you can start," he said.Scissura also envisions a ground-floor retail store that will promote goods manufactured in Brooklyn."If you make a product in Brooklyn, this is a store where people from all over the world can see and learn and buy your products," he said.Scissura hopes to have the new center up and running by 2018—in time for the chamber's 100th anniversary. While the chamber's main operations are centered in downtown Brooklyn. he is open to other neighborhoods. "I am not opposed to leaving downtown Brooklyn," Scissura said. "We're a borough-wide organization and downtown Brooklyn is just one piece of the borough."

Crain’s New York Business is the trusted voice of the New York business community—connecting businesses across the five boroughs by providing analysis and opinion on how to navigate New York’s complex business and political landscape.